# List of Northern Arizona Lumberjacks head football coaches

The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks college football team represents Northern Arizona University in the Big Sky Conference (Big Sky), as part of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision. The program has had 31 head coaches since it began play during the 1915 season. Since December 2023, Brian Wright has served as Northern Arizona's head coach.
Four coaches have led Northern Arizona in the postseason: Max Spilsbury, Joe Salem, Steve Axman, and Jerome Souers. Seven of those coaches also won conference championships: Ira MacIntosh captured one as a member of the Border Conference; Spilsbury captured seven as a member of the Frontier Conferene; and, Salem and Souers each captured one as a member of the Big Sky.
Souers is the leader in seasons coached, with 21 years as head coach and games coached (237) and won (123). Robert G. Stevenson has the highest winning percentage of those who have coached more than one game, with .857. Earl Insley has the lowest winning percentage at .167.

## Key

Key to symbols in coaches list :
| General | General | Overall | Overall | Conference | Conference | Postseason | Postseason |
| No. | Order of coaches | GC | Games coached | CW | Conference wins | PW | Postseason wins |
| DC | Division championships | OW | Overall wins | CL | Conference losses | PL | Postseason losses |
| CC | Conference championships | OL | Overall losses | CT | Conference ties | PT | Postseason ties |
| NC | National championships | OT | Overall ties | C% | Conference winning percentage | | |
| † | Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame | O% | Overall winning percentage | | | | |

## Coaches

List of head football coaches showing season(s) coached, overall records, conference records, postseason records, championships and selected awards :
| No. | Name | Season(s) | GC | OW | OL | OT | O% | CW | CL | CT | C% | PW | PL | PT | CCs | NCs | Awards |
| 1 | Clarence Thorpe | 1915–1917 | 14 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0.643 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 2 | R. A. Fuller | 1918 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 3 | Earl A. Lawver | 1919 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.500 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 4 | J. Phil McVey Lacey Eastburn | 1920 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0.600 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 5 | R. H. Drake | 1921–1922 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 0.375 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 6 | Robert G. Stevenson | 1923 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0.857 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 7 | William E. Rogers | 1924 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0.500 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 8 | Talbert D. Jessuppe | 1925 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0.417 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 9 | Emzy Harvey Lynch | 1926 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0.714 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 10 | Rudy Lavik | 1927–1932 | 44 | 28 | 11 | 5 | 0.693 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0.450 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 11 | Ira MacIntosh | 1933–1935 | 22 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 0.500 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 0.385 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | — |
| 12 | Garrett Arbelbide | 1936–1939 | 35 | 11 | 21 | 3 | 0.357 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 0.265 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 13 | Maurice Moulder | 1940–1942 | 22 | 6 | 16 | 0 | 0.273 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 0.125 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 14 | Frank Brickey | 1943–1946 | 20 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0.550 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0.375 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 15 | Nick Ragus | 1947–1948 | 17 | 5 | 12 | 0 | 0.294 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0.143 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 16 | Emil Ladyko | 1949 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0.188 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 17 | Ben Reiges | 1950 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0.222 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 18 | John Pederson | 1951–1953 | 23 | 7 | 16 | 0 | 0.304 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0.375 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 19 | Earl Insley | 1954–1955 | 18 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 0.167 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0.100 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 20 | Max Spilsbury | 1956–1964 | 88 | 58 | 25 | 5 | 0.688 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0.947 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — |
| 21 | Andy MacDonald | 1965–1968 | 40 | 22 | 17 | 1 | 0.563 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — |
| 22 | John Symank | 1969–1970 | 20 | 9 | 11 | 0 | 0.450 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 23 | Ed Peasley | 1971–1974 | 40 | 15 | 25 | 0 | 0.375 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 0.278 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 24 | Joe Salem | 1975–1978 | 43 | 26 | 17 | 0 | 0.605 | 15 | 9 | 0 | 0.625 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 25 | Dwain Painter | 1979–1981 | 33 | 16 | 17 | 0 | 0.485 | 8 | 13 | 0 | 0.381 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 26 | Joe Harper | 1982–1984 | 32 | 12 | 20 | 0 | 0.375 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0.333 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 27 | Larry Kentera | 1985–1989 | 55 | 26 | 29 | 0 | 0.473 | 16 | 22 | 0 | 0.421 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 28 | Steve Axman | 1990–1997 | 89 | 48 | 41 | 0 | 0.539 | 28 | 32 | 0 | 0.467 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 29 | Jerome Souers | 1998–2018 | 237 | 123 | 114 | — | 0.519 | 85 | 77 | — | 0.525 | 1 | 5 | — | 1 | 0 | — |
| 30 | Chris Ball | 2019–2023 | 50 | 20 | 30 | — | 0.400 | 16 | 21 | — | 0.432 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 31 | Brian Wright | 2024–present | 13 | 8 | 5 | — | 0.615 | 6 | 2 | — | 0.750 | 0 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | — |